Robertson, who was responsible for the Middle East and counterterrorism in his ministerial post, also stood down as MP for Faversham at May’s general election.

He is now head of the London office and director of international relations for “Falcon and Associates.”

Falcon was established by the Emir of Dubai to run Dubai’s abortive bid for the 2020 Olympics — Robertson was also Olympics minister in 2010.

Falcon now acts as a general PR and business promotion officer for Dubai, one of the United Arab Emirates. Falcon and Associates “works to positively influence the conversation about Dubai and the UAE as a place of opportunity for business, culture and lifestyle.”

This is how the conversation should really go: Dubai is an absolute monarchy with no democratic rights and a bad reputation for abusing foreign workers who build and service the city state. In May, just as Robertson’s appointment was announced, Amnesty International’s human rights expert tried to address a conference on mistreatment of workers in Dubai, but the sheikh’s police put him on a flight straight back out of the country, without explanation.

So just as a former British government minister is taking a job with the sheikhdom, a human rights advocate is being kicked out of the country.

Falcon and Associates reflects the archaic politics of Dubai — even the title sounds like a cross between a management consultancy and an episode of Game of Thrones. Falcon is a family affair. The top directors include John Ferguson, who is also the Emir of Dubai’s “bloodstock adviser” — his expert on buying racehorses — and Ahmad Abdullah Al Sheikh, the “media escort of His Highness the Ruler of Dubai.”

Another top Falcon director, Giselle Pettyfer, was previously head of “comms” for the International Olympic Committee.

While Dubai gave up on a 2020 Olympic bid, the Sheikhdom’s Olympic ambitions might still be in play.

The letter from Acoba says Robertson’s new job “will involve heading the London office, with frequent travel to Dubai. You will have particular responsibility for international relations, with particular emphasis on potential investors; sports and major events strategy, including Expo 2020; and special projects as they arise.”

Robertson’s post-ministerial job shows one of the contradictions of Parliament: Robertson owes his job to democracy. He would not be getting money from the sheikhs without the experience and contacts he developed as a minister in a democratically elected government. But the first place he turned for cash when he left office is a repressive autocracy.

Turning to the sheikhs for cash shows how little this ex-minister feels for the democratic system behind his career.

Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian has been condemned by wildlife charities for being the latest celebrity in the disappointing trend of taking wild animal selfies (click here to see the image). Khloe then posted the image on her instagram account.

For the photograph Khloe was cuddling a tiger cub, which, says the conservation charity World Animal Protection, probably would have had its “canine teeth and claws removed – a process which causes them great pain,” so that it was safe for tourists to handle. “These ‘once in a lifetime’ photos mean a lifetime of misery for the animal involved,” it said in a statement

More tigers live in captivity today than in the wild. It’s estimated that the number of captive tigers in the United States alone is at least 5,000 – far more than the 3,200 left in the wild globally. Many of these captive tigers are kept not by accredited sanctuaries or zoos but by private owners.

“We’re disappointed to see yet another celebrity posing with a wild animal. Tigers belong in the wild, where their needs can be fully met – not in captivity for use as entertainment or photo props.

“While interacting with tigers may seem harmless, people posing with wildlife don’t realize that a ‘once in a lifetime’ photo for them means a lifetime of misery for the animal. To be used for entertainment, tigers are forcibly removed from their mothers as cubs, trained to perform, and often suffer for the rest of their lives in captivity.

“Tigers are also highly unpredictable, and tourists around the world have been mauled or attacked when posing or interacting with these animals, underlining that show-business is no career for a wild animal.

“To people like Khloe Kardashian who love animals, our message is simple: see them in the wild.”

Global research shows that 50% of people who pay for a wild animal experience, do so because they love animals. But we know that if these animal lovers were aware of the abuse that takes place at wildlife tourist attractions and parks, they would never take part.

Help us end animal abuse

You can help the charity end the suffering that goes on behind the scenes at animal attractions around the world. Join our Before you Book campaign and share our video.

On the 9th of January [2015], Rhino Revolution Dubai held their third fund-raising event in order to raise funds to contribute towards the work done by Rhino Revolution in South Africa to aid the conservation efforts regarding the rhinos.

40,000 Masai people will be evicted from their homeland in Tanzania, because the Dubai royal family has bought it with the intention of using it as a reserve to hunt big game. Last year, the Tanzanian government had resisted the purchase, proposing instead a “wildlife corridor” dedicated to hunting near the Serengeti national park. However, the deal will still reportedly go through, and the Masai will have to leave by the end of the year…

The cost of this hobby are part of the budget of the Royal Hunting Department, which has undergone a name change and camouflages itself nowadays as the Royal Department for Wildlife Management. For years the government has refused to disclose the amount of tax money being put aside for hunting activities. On the initiative of the Party for the Animals, that changed since 2013. It cannot be true that 97 percent of the Dutch are against hunting, while members of the Royal Family are still avid hunters. So, there must be an end to the hunting parties of the royal family, and the royal hunting department, paid by taxpayer money, should be abolished.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, a Philippine Airlines spokesperson, confirmed that the carrier would stop the shipments. “It’s a total stop. We are stopping the shipment on all fronts, not just to Hong Kong,” said Cielo Villaluna. “PAL takes the issue of protection and conservation of endangered marine life seriously.”

The decision follows the news that the Conservation group WildLifeRisk and ocean-advocacy group Fins Attached had found 136 bags, each with 50kg of dried shark fins, “freshly arrived from Dubai” on Philippine Airlines earlier this month (April 2014).

“Obviously we’re delighted that Philippine Airlines has seen fit to turn its back on the dirty shark fin trade by joining a growing family of airlines that take their corporate social responsibilities seriously,” WildLifeRisk director Alex Hofford told the newspaper. “It’s another victory for the sharks and we hope that other regional carriers such as Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways will quickly follow.”

Philippine Airlines said in a statement “it will formalize and strengthen a freight policy it has recently adopted to stop the shipment of shark fin in support of its overall commitment to sustainable development.”

Hasnain Ali beaten and threatened with rape after arrest for ‘trumped-up’ drugs charges

The brother of a British man tortured at gunpoint and threatened with rape by Dubai police spoke out for the first time yesterday about the case.

Hasnain Ali, a former bodyguard to members of the Abu Dhabi royal family, will be sentenced today on allegedly trumped-up charges of possessing and selling drugs.

He was on holiday in Dubai in May 2013 when he was arrested, beaten and threatened with Tasers, firearms and rape by police.

Following the ordeal he was made to sign a “confession” in Arabic, which he did not understand, relating to the charges.

This “confession” is being used against him at trial.

“There has been no proper investigation into his torture and we have felt that the authorities have shown more interest in saving face than ensuring that any kind of justice is done,” his brother Jed said.

A British man arrested and tortured by Dubai police has today been acquitted.

Hasnain Ali (32), from London, was on holiday in Dubai in May 2013 when he was arrested and held for three days without access to a lawyer or his family. While detained he was beaten and threatened with tasers, firearms, and the prospect of sexual assault. Following his torture he was forced to sign a ‘confession’ in Arabic, a language he doesn’t understand, and charged with drugs offences for which he could have been given a death sentence.

Sebastian Kurz under pressure to secure release of Austrian woman in Dubai

Sebastian Kurz (OEVP) is facing his first big test as Austria’s new Foreign Minister as the pressure builds to secure the release of an Austrian woman who was arrested in Dubai after reporting her rape to police in Dubai.

The 29-year-old Viennese was arrested by police for having illegal sex in December after she went to them to report that she had been raped in an underground car park by a man from Yemen. The police also told her she could escape the charges if she agreed to marry the man she says attacked her.

Over 100,000 people

250,000 people, according to other sources

have now signed an online petition in support of her release and campaign activists have called on Kurz, the youngest ever Finance Minister, to make it happen.

“Sebastian Kurz must ensure that Dubai will return the young Austrian to her family and her friends,” said Christopher Schott, Campaign Director of global campaigning organisation Avaaz.

Kurz has sent a high level crisis team to Dubai and has done “everything in his power to help the Austrian”, according to the Foreign Ministry.